Lucentis for Treatment of Macular Edema

Cystoid macular edema (CME) is the most common cause of suboptimal post-operative visual acuity in uncomplicated cataract extractions. Over two million cataract extractions are performed each year, with a reported incidence ranging from 1.5 to 6.9%, resulting in an estimated 20,000-130,000 new cases of CME annually. Clinical CME historically was associated with visual acuity of 20/40 or worse with fluorescein angiographic evidence of macular edema in a classic petaloid pattern. Angiographic CME physiologically signals an inflammatory process causing distortion of the outer plexiform layer, which if not resolved quickly could result in non-repairable visual loss. Topical, periocular, or intravitreal corticosteroids, despite their associated side effects, are the mainstay for pharmacologic treatment for patients with CME. Their efficacy has never been demonstrated in a randomized, controlled and blinded study. This is an open-label, Phase II study of intravitreally administered ranibizumab in subjects with cystoid macular edema secondary to non-ischemic retinopathy, as seen following cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation.